The competition resumed between Jerome Bettis and Duce Staley yesterday after a brief pause when the two backs were held out of several practices with minor injuries.

One of the two will start at running back when the season opens. It's likely Bettis will start the first exhibition game Saturday in his hometown of Detroit, but the two have alternated running with the first team at every practice.

"I think it's going well," Bettis said. "We're both getting after it in terms of running the football. Nine on seven has been crisp, so I think the competition has been good for us."

He said there's more urgency to the running game this summer than there was when he and Amos Zereoue vied for the starting job a year ago in training camp.

"It hasn't been as obvious in terms of allowing some complacency, being both of us are very, very active whereas last year Amos wasn't the workaholic."

Coach Bill Cowher gave the job that Bettis had held since 1996 to Zereoue after two exhibition games in 2003 based on what he termed a gut instinct. Bettis regained it after six regular-season games. He's not sure what will prompt Cowher's decision this year.

"Unfortunately, you don't know until the situation goes down how the decision was made and things like that. You hope it's fair at the end of the day."

Bettis does think Cowher should give it more time this summer.

"I would hope the decision wouldn't be made until going into the regular season. Last year, I felt it was made prematurely. I thought it was a little early to make a decision like that but he wanted to get the continuity, so you have to respect that."

Young corners

Two new cornerbacks could start Saturday night against the Lions in Detroit because of injuries to Chad Scott and Deshea Townsend.

Rookie Ricardo Colclough and second-year pro Ike Taylor played with the first team in last night's goal-line drill that concluded practice at Greensburg's Offutt Field. Scott has an abdominal strain and Townsend came down with a groin injury in practice last night.

"There's nothing like substitution, and getting repetitions," Cowher said. "With Chad and Deshea down, they're getting a lot of it."

It also appears that backup quarterback Charlie Batch will not play in Detroit. He had fluid drained from his left knee yesterday and will have an MRI today. That probably means that rookie quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and second-year pro Brian St. Pierre will get more playing time against the Lions.

Roethlisberger led the second team in its one series at the goal line last night. Safety Ainsley Battles sacked him on a bootleg, and while his fourth-down pass into the end zone was on target, 6-foot-7, 338-pound rookie tackle-eligible Max Starks could not get his long arms up quickly enough to catch it. Nevertheless, Roethlisberger threw some other good passes on rollouts, a forte of his he honed at Miami, Ohio.

"He does a little improvisation every day that kind of catches your eye," Cowher said. "His mobility. He gets out ... he's becoming more comfortable in the huddle. He does a lot of good things every day."

The first-team offense scored when Tommy Maddox flipped a pass to tight end Matt Cushing.

"It was a good tune-up," Cowher said. "We have to start hitting some other people. I think we're all kind of looking forward to Saturday."